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Comment by zapzupnz

6 years ago

> He doesn't know - but he feels he does not need to take the risk to find out because the stakes are too high for him (since he'll need to borrow from a bank or his retirement savings).

Then that should have been the main crux of his argument, without the need to start making up questionable numbers and making comparisons with other titles; particularly when it's an open letter on a subject nobody really seemed to care about prior to the previous article.

It seems his audience, his customerbase, is so extraordinarily specific that the letter would really have been better addressed to his fans and nobody else; instead, the two posts come off as unsolicited whining which I believe is what is rubbing people the wrong way.

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zapzupnz

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sgift  6 years ago

> instead, the two posts come off as unsolicited whining which I believe is what is rubbing people the wrong way.

They are sound business advice from someone who knows what he talks about (because he has had a successful business for a long time). Far better than the usual "hey, I'm a unicorn startup and obviously I will change the world" which will then implode a few weeks or month later, when their "revolutionary" idea and/or business opportunity turns out to be useless.

  • zapzupnz  6 years ago

    He's had a small successful business for a long time, though, with an extremely limited audience and no intent to widen it with a view to potentially much better profits. I'm not sure I'd call it "sound business advice" unless one's business intent is to barely float above water.

    • vidarh  6 years ago

      The majority of indie game developers will likely never be profitable if they account for their time. Yes, it's a small company, but merely still being there makes him one of the most successful indie developers around.

      You'll note part of his reason for wanting to stay small is that he's an introvert who likes to work by himself - not everyone wants to build a sprawling empire. So sure, if you want to gamble big at a shot at massive success you probably shouldn't listen to him. If you want to be able to be independent and work for yourself, he has worthwhile lessons about focusing on what pays your bills and where your skills are that are worthwhile not just for people who wants to do games.